WALES coach Mike Ruddock last night paid tribute to the RBS Six Nations Player of the Championship Martyn Williams.

Blues flanker Williams was the runaway winner of the poll carried out via the BBC Sport website.

He grabbed almost 8,000 of the 23,000 votes cast, beating his nearest challenger, Brian O'Driscoll, by more than 5,000 votes.

Ireland skipper O'Driscoll was the only non-Welshman in the top five, with Shane Williams third, Steven Jones fourth and Dwayne Peel fifth.

Only one Englishman - Martin Corry - makes a top 10 featuring five members of Wales' Grand Slam-winning team.

For openside Williams, the award rounds off a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes.

In the autumn, he had to play second fiddle to Colin Charvis and he initially looked set to join the crocked Charvis on the sidelines for the start of the Six Nations because of a neck injury.

But he shook off the problem in time to face England and never looked back, playing a pivotal role in Wales' thrilling attacking approach with his support work and handling ability.

Ruddock believes Williams is now reaping the rewards from staying at home last summer rather than going on the tour of Argentina and South Africa.

"What we said was that we wanted Martyn to go in the gym and try and improve his strength and conditioning," he said.

"He'd been on so many tours with Wales and the Lions that he hadn't managed to get as much time in the gym as we all wanted, and he wanted.

"I think staying at home last summer has certainly helped him.

"Before the start of the season, we checked his speed scores and his strength scores and they were the best he's ever done. I think it's reflected in the way he's playing the game now.

"Having said that, we selected Colin Charvis to play against South Africa in the autumn because of the physical size of the Springbok back row, with people like Schalk Burger and the lads there.

"So Martyn obviously had to be content with challenging for that spot and not being in the team.

"But the test of any man is when you get the chance you take it.

"That's what great players do and Martyn's a great player - and he's shown when he had the opportunity how good he is."

Typically, the 55-cap Williams was quick to deflect the praise away from himself on to his team-mates.

"It's a real surprise to get this accolade, especially to be chosen ahead of such quality players," he said.

"It's more than I expected and it's a tribute to the hard efforts put in by every member of the Welsh squad throughout the championship.

"When I heard about this award, I thought what about Gethin Jenkins, Shane Williams and Stephen Jones among others?

"They all are deserving winners of this and that's a testament to the Wales side as a whole."

Williams, 29, said the 2005 Six Nations campaign had been beyond his wildest expectations.

He said, "It has always been an ambition of mine to be part of a Grand Slam side, but it's something I never thought I would achieve.

"I knew a lot of the guys in this side would eventually celebrate a Grand Slam, but not an old-timer like me!

"So that makes it even sweeter and it was a dream to be able to have the last kick of a championship-winning season, like I did on Saturday when I kicked the ball into touch to signal the end of the Ireland game.

"The atmosphere inside the stadium was amazing. The support we've received from start to finish in this Six Nations has been superb.

"I've been a player in Cardiff for nine years and it was just so special on Saturday.

"City Hall with the big screen was like Henman Hill at Wimbledon gone crazy.

"And there were more red jerseys than I could ever imagine. So it's great for them that we were able to do it.

"The victory over Ireland was a fantastic occasion, not just for me, but for the whole team and nation."

On his personal situation, Williams added, "At the start of the tournament, I was just hoping to make the 22.

"I thought my best hope was to start on the bench. So to win this award and for everyone to vote for me is something to savour."